Project Ghost Shadow
by NOS junkie
Summary: Former Air Force pilot Lance Dalton is recruited by the CIA to take part of a task force involving a high tech vehicle in this story of international espionage, intrigue and high octane action.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the Need for Speed series or the source material. All characters belonging to the series belong to Electronic Arts. The rest of the characters created by me, The NOS Junkie; belong to me. All cars belong to their respective manufacturers. Now that I'm done typing the disclaimer and all that legal stuff… Let's check out this story…. Enjoy!

Prologue.

Monday. July 26th 3:00 pm

St. Andrew's Air Force base.

On a hot summer day with temperatures going over 100 degrees fahrenheit was business as usual in St. Andrews Air Force base, it was located 65 miles outside the city of Bayview. In one of the many hangars around the base was one in particular that was heavily guarded. Inside there were many researchers and armed guards.

Inside an office within the hangar was Dr. Wade Mulligan, a young researcher who stood 5'10 of thin built. He had brown long hair, he was wearing glasses, blue jeans with red Converse to match, a black t-shirt and a lab coat.

"The Ghost Shadow prototypes are almost complete" said Dr. Mulligan

"I see but we need a driver that can handle that car of yours" said Frank Romano, a cocky CIA senior agent in his early 40's. He had black sleeked back hair and was wearing the typical black business suit that has become a trademark of government officials.

"Not just a driver that can go fast but someone who can make use of the Ghost Shadow's weapons and equipment" Dr. Mulligan said as he sat down in front of his computer.

"We've got plenty of agents that can handle the car just fine, you can simply give them the manual" Agent Romano scoffed.

Another man entered the room, it was a man in his mid-50's. His brown hair with gray streaks neatly combed and a expensive business suit showed he had one of the top clearances in this project.

"Colonel Duncan, we weren't expecting you" said Romano, he sounded nervous since Colonel Samuel Duncan was obviously his superior.

"I've heard the project is completed so I came to see the test run" Colonel Duncan replied.

"Yes… umm I was telling Dr. Mulligan I'm calling a few good agents to help us test the car" Romano tried to impress the Colonel. He wasn't as he shook his head.

"We've got a few candidates, my assistant knows more about them" said Dr. Mulligan. A bunch of profiles from different drivers were displayed on a large screen.

"Can you call her over?" The Colonel asked politely.

Dr. Mulligan pushed the button to the intercom "Jade, can you come please?"

"I'm on my way" Dr. Jade Wong replied.

"Don't tell me you're gonna suggest those thugs to the Colonel?" Romano wanted to have CIA agents and not street racers to be the test drivers for the project.

"Do you need me?" A good looking slim female in her mid-20's and standing 5'5 walked into the office, she was wearing a business suit with eye glasses, her black hair was tied in pony tail. Despite her age, Jade Wong was a very talented researcher in the field of robotics.

"Yeah, I'd like you to show the Colonel our candidates for the project" Mulligan replied.

"Very well" Jade grabbed a laptop that was hooked to a large screen, in a few seconds a bunch of profiles pictures and mug shots were displayed

"So this is who we've got" Colonel Duncan looked at the screen.

"So far we got candidate number one….. Jack Rourke, he's a notorious street racer who accomplished a race that started on the pacific and ended on the east coast. He was wanted by the mafia" Jade explained.

"Next" said Colonel Duncan.

"Next on our list is Clarence "Razor" Callaghan, currently serving time for distribution of narcotics and street racing in Rockport" Jade went thru the next candidate.

"Come on… is there someone who isn't a criminal?" Agent Romano expressed his frustration at the assistant.

"Ok next on our list is Rachel Teller, she's one of the most experienced and influential racers in Bayview" Jade went on explaining.

"Show me one more" Colonel Duncan wasn't impressed with the candidates so far, he needed someone with better credentials.

"Next is Mia Townsend, a police detective from Rockport. Responsible for uncovering an elite group of street racers that operated a drug smuggling route two years ago. You remember she made the headlines" Jade said.

"A police detective….. gimmie a break!" Agent Romano scoffed.

"Nice collection but none of them have what we're looking for" Colonel Duncan indeed wasn't impressed with these individuals.

"I guess we'll scout for more talent" Dr. Mulligan said in frustration.

"Don't worry son, I know someone who meets the criteria" The Colonel said.

"Who do you have in mind?" Agent Romano asked.

Colonel Duncan turned to Jade "Look for Lance Dalton", Jade typed the name.

"Lance Dalton, age 27…. Former Lieutenant with the Royal Canadian Air Force… decorated combat pilot with many successful missions overseas. This guy's a hero but is he the right guy for the job?" Jade stared at the laptop's screen.

"I know him. I was his commanding officer two years ago" Colonel Duncan replied.

"Where is he now?" Wade Mulligan asked.

"He's now residing in Olympic City" Jade responded.

"Time to pay him a visit" said Colonel Duncan.

_The Junkie's notes: As promised. I give you the prologue to this story, I don't wanna confuse you guys with the main character of this story. In the previous story I wrote, NFS Undercover Chronicles I named the nameless the driver from NFS Underground Lance Zane. The main character here is Lance Dalton and isn't related to Zane. They just happen to have the same first name. Mia Townsend was mentioned in here so if you're wondering if this story shares the same universe as NFS Undercover Chronicles since she appeared in it as well. The answer is yes and takes place a year after, can't tell you more because I don't wanna spoil the end for Undercover Chronicles. _


	2. The Bouncer

Chapter 1 – The Bouncer

Monday, July 26th

Le Mata Hari Gentlemen's Club, Olympic City. 11:17 p.m.

It was a late night in Olympic City's district of Atlantica, a wealthy paradise for those who can afford it. It consisted of luxury apartments, yacht harbors, expensive condos and top end car dealerships just to name a few spots. It was also home to Le Mata Hari Gentlemen's Club, a luxurious strip club where many businessmen, media celebrities and politicians came to unwind and have a good time.

Inside the club there was a massive stage with girls from different ethnicities dancing and putting on a good show, there were also cocktail waitresses fetching drinks for the patrons. Colonel Sam Duncan and Agent Romano entered from the lobby area.

"With all due respect sir, is this Dalton character the right person for the project?" Romano asked.

"He's got all the qualifications necessary" The colonel replied as they kept walking along with a waitress who showed them to their table close to the stage.

The two men sat down at their table and observed the many beautiful women dancing and going up and down the pole.

"I don't see this Dalton guy around, are you sure we'll find him here?" Agent Romano asked.

The Colonel leaned back "just wait… we'll see him"

From the other side of the club was the VIP area, many of the patrons were there getting private lap dances and enjoying being in the company of women while drinking some of the finest booze money could buy.

"Hey baby…. Why don't you come home with me and have a good time" said a belligerent drunk wearing a business suit, he had too many drinks that people were able to smell the alcohol off of his clothes. His hair was a mess.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that" the blond female stripper kindly said as she was trying to leave. The man violently grabbed her arm.

"Come on…. We'll have a good time… If you want I'll buy you whatever you want" the man tried to pull her back.

"I can't ok! And let go! You're hurting me!" The female tried to plea but no avail.

"Let's get out of here" the man tried to pull her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" said another man, he stood 5'11. He had black hair short messy hair, almost spiked. He had a good built and was wearing a grey business suit with a black tie to match.

"What a hell do you want?" said the drunken man.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave" said the man who clearly was one of the bouncers. The drunken man let go of the girl and turned around to face the bouncer.

"Listen dickface, I'm a member of the board of directors of Blackwater Industries…. You don't tell me what to do" said the man as he pushed his index finger at the bouncer's chest.

"I'm not going to repeat myself… leave" said the bouncer with a calm but stern voice.

"Fuck you!" The drunken man tried to swing at the bouncer but his arm was intercepted and then placed on a Muay Thai clinch and got two knee strikes to the mid section followed by an elbow to the face. Then the bouncer proceeded to take the drunken guy outside.

Colonel Duncan looked from afar what was going down and got up.

"What's going on?" Romano asked.

"Follow me" said Colonel Duncan.

The bouncer escorted the drunken man outside and got him to the parking lot.

"You think you're a badass, don't you?" the drunken man said as he fell to the floor, he picked a piece of broken glass and got back to his feet.

The bouncer noticed that and saw the drunk running at him trying to cut him with the piece of glass, in return the bouncer grabbed the drunk's arm and flipped him with a Judo throw and then twisted the guy's hand, forcing him to drop the make-shift weapon.

"Just stay down and never come back" said the bouncer.

Colonel Duncan and Agent Romano stood by the door as they watched the bouncer take the belligerent drunk outside with ease.

"Not bad Lieutenant" said Colonel Duncan.

The bouncer recognized the Colonel's voice.

"Is this?" Agent Romano said.

"It's been a while Lieutenant Dalton" Colonel Duncan walked up to Lance Dalton, his former subordinate.

"I'm not a Lieutenant anymore and what are you doing here?" Dalton asked.

"Come on Dalton, it's not a good way to greet an old friend" Colonel Duncan said.

"I know this isn't a social visit. Did you run out of combat pilots that are willing to blindly go into battle for you?" Dalton said with anger in his voice.

"You know I did my best to keep you but there were higher powers that made that decision" The colonel said.

"I'm retired…. I'm just a bouncer now" Dalton turned around and started to walk towards the bar.

Agent Romano stood in front of Dalton "We're here doing you a favor and you take the luxury of just walking away"

Dalton grabbed Romano by his shirt "Do you get paid enough for this?"

"Listen Dalton, We got a job for you and if you do this, I can get you reinstated" Colonel Duncan pleaded. Dalton released Romano from his grip.

"Why should I listen to you? You were my commanding officer during the coalition with NATO but you never had my back… some leader you are, Colonel" Dalton looked hard at the colonel.

"We can help each other… we'll be waiting for you at an airstrip south of the city. Think about it, you could spend your life dragging belligerent drunks out of bars but the excitement of flying and pushing it to the edge calls to you. And besides your country needs you" Colonel Duncan looked at Dalton right in the eye.

"I'm Canadian…" Dalton turned around and walked away.

Agent Frank Romano fixed his collar and tie "he's got an attitude problem, I still have good agents in the Agency that can do this job"

"He'll be at the airstrip tomorrow, he's hot headed but he's the man for the job" Colonel Duncan started to make his way towards the dark SUV parked.

_The Junkie's notes: Some of you might remember back in the 80's there was a movie called Roadhouse starring Patrick Swayze. His character was a bouncer named Dalton and as you can see, the main character here is Lance Dalton (no relation to Patrick Swayze's character). I'm a big fan of Roadhouse and I feel I wanted to pay homage to the movie and Mr. Swayze in this chapter. I'm almost done with chapter two and please if you haven't checked out my previous story Need for Speed Undercover Chronicles, please do. Thank you everyone for giving me inspiration, God bless you! One Love._


	3. The Prototype

Chapter 2 – The Prototype

Tuesday, July 27th

Red Bear Airfield 9:20 am

A red 1968 Chevelle SS was speeding down the two lane highway that led to the airstrip, the loud roar from its V8 engine could be heard from afar. The air strip was located 40 miles south from Olympic City. The car made a turn towards the main gate and into the runway.

A dust crop plane was on its way down to the landing strip until the pilot saw the Chevelle racing down the runway.

"You idiot!" The pilot cursed as he pulled the control joystick to increase altitude. The plane avoided a crash landing with the muscle car, the driver inside the Chevelle had a smirk on his grin. The car then ran towards the tarmac and into a hangar where there was a private jet.

"He's here" said Colonel Sam Duncan who was standing by the jet's main door.

The Chevelle came to a sudden stop right on the side of the plane. Lance Dalton got out of the car, he had a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a leather jacket.

"I knew you'd come" said Colonel Duncan.

Dalton walked towards the Colonel with a duffle bag on his shoulder"What's the job colonel?"

"We've got a situation…." The Colonel responded.

Agent Frank Romano exited the aircraft with a folder in his hand "We're gonna cut to the chase and tell you why you're here, we need your expertise"

"Expertise?" Dalton asked.

"Remember that aircraft you recovered two years ago in Ukraine?" Col. Duncan asked.

"Yeah… what about it?" Dalton took his aviator glasses off.

"We'll explain more inside… trust me, you'll be very interested" Jade Wong stood a few feet from Dalton.

"Who's she?" Dalton asked Col. Duncan

"My name is Jade Wong, it's a pleasure to meet the man who successfully retrieved the SU-48 stealth prototype" Jade walked up to Dalton and shook his hand.

"Don't believe everything you read… some people over-hype the facts" Dalton said jokingly.

"Shall we?" said Col. Duncan.

Dalton walked inside the private aircraft, the inside was state of the art. Leather seats, a bunch of TV flat screens, a minibar; the plane looked more like it belonged to a famous celebrity than the government. Everybody sat down.

"I hope you got someone to keep an eye on my car" Dalton said

"Don't worry about your car" Romano said as he grabbed a glass of scotch and took a sip.

"That's a Chevelle, a classic. Not one of the Crown Vic's you people drive" Dalton scoffed.

Col. Duncan knocked on the cockpit door "Take us up, will you"

The plane's door was sealed, there was no turning back. The private jet exited the hangar and made its way to the runway. After getting clearance from the control tower, the aircraft took off.

After a few minutes the aircraft was above the 10.000 feet, CIA agent Frank Romano got up his seat and poured another glass of scotch. Dalton looked out to the window and knew that familiar feeling of flying an aircraft, even though it was a private aircraft just seeing the city from the air and everything being so tiny, like seeing everything thru a microscope.

"Let's get to business, shall we?" Col. Duncan said.

Jade pulled a tablet that was hooked to a monitor located by the mini-bar "the prototype aircraft you recovered in Ukraine, well for the past two years we were able to study its functions"

"So you made your own version of the Russian stealth fighter… I knew it!" Dalton was feeling disgusted, the recovery mission was his last before he was discharged by the Royal Canadian Air Force at NATO's request after he punched a high ranking general.

"In a way" Jade answered.

"You'll be surprised how we were able to use the SU-48's technology" Col. Duncan explained.

"I hope it was worth the lives of the men who help with the insertion during the mission" Dalton said angrily.

"We took the technology of this aircraft and incorporated into this…" Jade explained as she displayed on the screen a picture of the SU-48 which looked very similar to the SU-47 but had stealth capabilities among some other high-tech weaponry, next to it was the picture of a highly modified Corvette Z06.

"A car?" Dalton thought it was a joke.

"Well it's a car alright but it has been modified for combat and espionage missions" Jade explained.

Dalton put his palm on his forehead "Does it talk?"

"Knight Rider… I loved that show" said Agent Romano.

"No, it doesn't" Jade answered.

"You mean to tell me you took the components of a Russian prototype fighter and put it in a Corvette" Dalton found it hard to believe since he flew the prototype jet.

"Dr. Wade Mulligan was responsible for adapting its technology. The aircraft was returned to Russia but we studied it before it was shipped to Moscow" Col. Duncan explained.

"I see… so why am I here?" Dalton asked.

"You successfully retrieved the aircraft, you know all about its weapons and system. And you're also a fast driver" Col. Duncan replied. Prior to joining the Canadian Air Force, Dalton was a fast street racer from Vancouver. He was highly skilled and specialized on American muscle cars.

"And how is driving this miracle car gonna get me reinstated" Dalton inquired.

"We want to test the car on peace keeping missions but we'll go over the details as soon as we land on St. Andrews Air Force Base" Col. Duncan got up and poured himself a glass of scotch. As for Dalton, this could be the chance to get the life that he once had. The life of a combat pilot.

Five hours later in St. Andrews Air Force Base

The private aircraft landed on one of its runways, it was a long trip flying from coast to coast and Dalton still had his doubts about the whole air of secrecy. The plane proceeded to make its way across the tarmac and into a hangar. The jet engines shut off and the door opened, Dalton got off his seat and made his way out after Col. Duncan and Agent Romano exited the aircraft.

"I trust the flight wasn't that rough" Dr. Wade Mulligan welcomed the crew as he was anxious to know who was going to be the driver to his prototype car.

"It wasn't that bad" Jade replied.

Dalton scanned his surroundings, there were many soldiers guarding the hangar. He knew what he was going to witness was top secret, not meant for the common civilian.

"You must be the famous Lance Dalton" said Dr. Mulligan.

"And you must be the man responsible for making a stealth fighter jet into a sports car" Dalton shook the doctor's hand.

"Technically yes, but a car is a car…. We need the soul for it to be alive" Dr. Mulligan responded.

"Please follow me" said Jade, leading to another area inside the hangar, there were three vehicles covered by a tarp. The vibe of secrecy grew tense.

"Tell me Lieutenant, what do you know about that Russian aircraft, the SU-48 prototype?" Dr. Mulligan asked.

"From flying that aircraft? It's the best aircraft I've flown, it's a stealth fighter but far superior from the SU-47 Berkut or America's F-22 Raptor. Its titanium alloy body can take much more enemy fire, and it's body can change camouflage like a chameleon. At Mach speeds maneuverability is smooth…. All I can say it's every combat pilot's dream fighter jet" Dalton explained from his previous experience.

"Ok. Then watch this" Dr. Mulligan pulled the tarp from one of the vehicles, two other researchers pulled the tarp from the other two vehicles. The Corvette Z06, a Nissan GT-R R35 and an Aston Martin Vanquish were unveiled.

"Three sports cars…. The Vette looks nice but say again?" Dalton was dumbfounded by seeing three highly modified cars. They looked like they belonged in a car show.

Jade walked up to Dalton with a Glock pistol and handed it to him "Here… Shoot at the car"

Dalton took the gun and shot at the window, the bullet didn't cause a scratch to the glass.

"Try shooting at the door" Col. Duncan said, Dalton shot at the body and again there wasn't even a scratch to the paint job. Instead, the body displayed a reflection-like shine wherever a bullet hit. Dalton kept shooting until the clip was empty.

"Now you got me interested, most bulletproof cars get at least a few scratches from gunfire" Dalton handed the gun back to Jade.

"The car's body is made from a lightweight titanium alloy and uses electromagnetic impulses to keep the surface from suffering damage, it can sustain damage from .50 caliber rounds" Dr. Mulligan explained.

"Interesting" Dalton looked at the inside of the car.

"These same electromagnetic impulses can also change the color of the car and there are micro cameras that can create a reflection effect, simulating what I like to call a stealth camo. Practically making the car to blend in with its surroundings, like a chameleon" Dr. Mulligan opened the passenger door and got inside.

Dalton got in the driver's seat and looked at the dash, it looked very different from that of a normal Corvette. On the windshield there was an HUD display that was very reminiscent of a fighter jet, on the dash were all kinds of buttons and dials. The radio/GPS screen was actually the car's supercomputer.

"This car has 700 horsepower but you can actually use the afterburner mode and gain 500 horsepower more for a minute, after that it overheats and you'll have to wait at least fifteen minutes before using it again. You also have all kinds of weapons like electromagnetic disablers, machine guns, a laser that can cut metal, it also has chaffs, and small heat seeking missiles" Dr. Mulligan summarized the car's functions.

"And you want me to drive this car?" Dalton asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Let's take it for a spin" Jade said as she tried yanked Dr. Mulligan out of the passenger seat.

"But we have to go thru the whole manual so at least he knows how to operate the car" Dr. Mulligan protested.

"Come on Doc, remember I was the one who flew the SU-48 and I didn't even read a manual" Dalton said with a smirk on his face as he turn the ignition on. The loud roar of the highly modified V8 engine based on the LS motor was unleashed.

"Shall we?" Jade winked at Dalton.

"What are we waiting for" Dalton shifted to first gear, making a burnout before the car raced out of the hangar.

"Are you sure this guy is the one for this job?" Dr. Mulligan adjusted his glasses.

"Don't worry… Dalton is hot headed but he's our guy, but we may need two more drivers for the other cars" Col. Duncan replied with a smile on his face.

_The Junkie's notes: Sorry I kept you all waiting for the second chapter. I was finishing the last chapter for NFS Undercover Chronicles but now that it's done (by the way if you haven't check it out…. Do it!) now I can focus on this story. I hope you enjoy this story and I'm gonna add more chapters as soon as possible. Thank you again for your support! Stay safe!_


	4. The Test Drive

Chapter 3 – The Test Drive

As the test run began outside on the runway of St. Andrews Air Force base, Dalton stepped on the accelerator making the prototype Corvette Z06 go at full speed, the car was going above 140 mph around the tarmac. There was an F-22 Raptor being taxied to a hangar, Dalton raced head on towards the fighter jet.

"What is a sports car doing here?" said the F-22 pilot.

"This car packs a punch, it's faster than my Chevelle" said Dalton as he shifted to fifth gear.

As the car was increasing its speed, Jade was holding onto the handle above the door as she felt nervous at Dalton's wild driving.

"I hope you know what you're doing" said Jade.

"Watch" Dalton responded.

At just mere feet from the F-22, Dalton drifted around the jet.

"Whoever driving that car is insane" said the F-22 pilot.

"Ok…. You proved your point… you can drive" said Jade.

The Vette made its way to the runway and it came to a sudden stop. Dalton was looking at the dashboard as if he was looking for something.

"The Doc said something about an afterburner system in the car… how can I activate it?" Dalton asked.

"It's on the screen" Jade pointed at the screen on the dash, it consisted of many option such as weapons and scanners. Dalton revved the engine a few times and shifted to first gear, the car accelerated at an amazing pace, then he touched the screen on the switch for the afterburner mode. Suddenly flames came out of the exhaust, the whistling sound similar to a jet's turbine mixed in with the engine noise. The car raced like a bat out of hell reaching speeds of 240 mph.

"This is amazing" Dalton was very impressed by the car's performance. On the other hand Jade was still holding onto the handle.

Back inside the hangar…..

"Sure Dalton can drive" said Agent Romano.

"That kind of skill isn't something they teach at the Agency" Col. Duncan responded.

Dr. Wade Mulligan sat in front of his computer, he was monitoring the car's performance.

"This maniac might ruin the car" said the doctor.

Col. Duncan leaned against a desk "That's why I rather have him be the driver for this prototype"

Dr. Mulligan turned and face he Colonel "What about the two other drivers?"

"Let Dalton get acquainted with the car, then we'll figure out the other two candidates" Col. Duncan responded.

"Very well then" Dr. Mulligan turned back to his computer and adjusted his glasses.

Back on the runway…

Dalton was approaching the end of the runway, he gently stepped on the brakes, Jade touched the screen and activated the afterburner emergency brake system. Special flaps came from the back and the front of the car, helping it stop.

"Nice" said Dalton.

"You're nuts… but I guess that's what the Colonel and Agent Romano are looking for" Jade looked at the screen, she switched to screen that gave a full on diagnostic on the car.

"The car handles great but what about weapons?" Dalton asked.

"Let's go to the other side of the base, there's a test area for that" Jade responded.

Dalton turned to the right and headed back to the tarmac, the base was fairly big and it took about ten minutes to cross from one end to another. Once on the other side was an area that was often called the graveyard. It was a place full of old planes, amongst them were fighters used in World War II and during the cold war. There was a fire crew on stand by.

"Ok… So is this target practice?" Dalton asked.

"Yeah but try not to make a big mess" Jade said jokingly, she started to loosen up.

Dalton drove the Corvette around the planes and stopped in front of a B-2 bomber. He looked at the screen and activated the 50 caliber gun. A small circle-shaped compartment opened on the bumper where the fog lights normally are, two barrels emerged. Dalton looked at the HUD display on the windshield and with a set of buttons on the steering wheel was able to take aim. Behind the steering wheel was a button that acted as the trigger. The cannons started to shoot and pierced the heavy hunk of twisted metal.

"Whoa" said Dalton.

"Someone likes heavy artillery" Jade smiled as she saw the damaged done to the wrecked plane.

"Let's see… let's try the missiles" Dalton switched weapons and again took aim and opened fire. A pair of compartments just below the doors opened and two cannons, one on each side emerged. Two small size missile launched and destroyed what was left of the plane, rendering it in a huge ball of fire.

"Ok…. Maybe we should head back" said Jade.

"You're right" Dalton back up and turned around and headed back to the hangar, leaving the fire crew to put out the fire.

Back at the hangar….

The Corvette Z06 raced towards the area where the other two cars, the GT-R and Vanquish were parked. The car came to a complete stop after a powerslide. Dalton and Jade emerged from the car.

"How did you like it?" Col. Duncan asked.

"It's one hell of a car" Dalton responded.

"I'm glad you like it Lieutenant" Dr. Mulligan approached Dalton.

"Enough of the formalities Doc, just call me Dalton"

"Ok, then… but please don't call me Doc, just call me Wade" Dr. Mulligan responded.

"Fair enough" said Dalton.

The group made their way back into a conference room, there was a large monitor on one end.

"So I tested the car, now I'm gonna ask you. How is this gonna get me my career back?" Dalton took a seat.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, there's a situation overseas" Col. Duncan answered.

"I knew it was gonna be something more than just take that car around the block" Dalton said.

Agent Frank Romano walked to the other side of the room "Listen kid, the situation is very delicate and we need your skills"

"I figured that out" Dalton responded with sarcasm in his voice, he's always disliked pencil pushers like Romano.

"A week ago a bio-chemical weapon was stolen from one of our bases in Europe, we were able to point out who was behind it all" Col. Duncan explained. Several pictures showing a group of mercenaries led by a woman.

"A woman? What's the intel on her?" Dalton asked.

"She goes by the name of Valerie Storm…. But that's an alias, her real name is Chase Lihn; she used to be an FBI agent before she flipped. She was the mastermind of a conspiracy with different criminal circles around Tri City a few years ago. She was arrested but apparently committed suicide, we determined a now deceased arms dealer and terrorist Rasheed Al-Nazari somehow sprung her out but she seemed to have lost her memory" Col. Duncan went over the details.

"So she stole a bio-weapon and what did she do with it?" Dalton turned and faced the Colonel.

"We confirmed she sold the Red Lazarus to North Korea and they plan to use it against the south" Col. Duncan explained "we need you to go into North Korean territory and destroy the Red Lazarus and the facility which stores it"

"You want me to cross into North Korea where there's a heavy wall of fire at the Demilitarized Zone using the Corvette I test drove? It would be easier to just send me on an F-22 and bomb the hell out of that place" Dalton responded.

"It could cause a bigger international incident, North and South Korea are technically still at war and China wouldn't want a full on conflict in their backyard. That's why we determine it's better to send the Ghost Shadow prototypes, and I would appreciate if you call the Corvette 'Vulcan Stingray'. The car is far superior than a normal Corvette" Wade Mulligan walked into the room.

"Vulcan Stingray?" Dalton thought of the name rather silly.

"The Corvette is codenamed Vulcan Stingray just like the Nissan GT-R you just saw is codenamed Night Raven and the Aston Martin Vanquish is called Ghost Falcon" Wade explained.

"We need you to lead a team of drivers inside, we already picked one driver" Col. Duncan said as the profile of a female CIA operative appeared in one of the screens. It showed her picture, she had clear skin and black long hair. Her name was Kira Mercier, age 26 years old. According to her profile she was an expert in computers and infiltration.

"So who's our third driver?" Dalton asked.

Another profile appeared on screen "Former Tri City Police Department Detective, Marcus Rodriguez. He's the one who apprehended Chase Lihn. Last year he worked on a case where a major weapons gun runner from France was brought down. Shortly after that he quit the force and became a private eye, now he resides in Fairhaven" Col. Dalton explained.

"A cop? We're destroying a chemical weapon, not writing tickets" Dalton protested the idea.

"Don't worry kid… The guy is good" Agent Romano said.

"Do you accept the mission?" Col. Duncan asked.

Dalton paused for a second, he thought of how dangerous the mission was but then again; being a bouncer wasn't the best career choice.

"I'm in" Dalton responded.

"Good, now all we have to do is recruit Mr. Rodriguez" Col. Duncan said.

_The Junkie's notes: Sorry for the delay, I was on a business trip and had to be away for a little over a week but now I'm back. Time to catch up on this story…. One Love!_


	5. The Detective

Chapter 4 – The Detective

Wednesday, July 28th

Fairhaven, 11:00 am.

A large transport plane, the C-17 was flying over the city of Fairhaven, inside were the three prototype cars along with the personnel that consisted of Lance Dalton, Col. Sam Duncan, Dr. Wade Mulligan and Jade Wong. Agent Frank Romano stayed in St. Andrew's base to wait for CIA agent Kira Mercier. From there the team would rendezvous in Osan Air Force base in South Korea where the formal briefing would take place.

"Colonel, how do you know this Rodriguez guy would join us?" Dalton asked.

"We got a fifty-fifty chances that he'll join, him and Chase Lihn go way back, she betrayed him on an undercover mission when she was his handler with the FBI. I think the chance of putting her away for good should be a good reason to join" Col. Duncan responded, he was wearing his service ceremonial uniform.

"I wonder about that" Dalton said, he was wearing a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather jacket with many patches from his days in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he was also wearing his aviator sunglasses.

The plane was making its final approach towards Fairhaven International Airport. As soon as it landed and made its way to the tarmac, a black SUV was parked. A uniformed soldier emerged from the vehicle and saluted the Colonel.

"We were expecting you, sir" The soldier opened the back seat door. Colonel Duncan and Dalton got inside the SUV and the soldier closed the door. Wade and Jade stayed behind as they were running some diagnostics on the cars.

"Where should we go, sir?" Another uniformed soldier serving as a driver asked.

"Take us downtown" the Colonel responded.

The black SUV made its way out of the airport and after a few lights it made it to I-92 freeway and after a half hour drive, the SUV made it downtown. On the corner of Hudson street and Gunderson avenue was a private investigation firm.

"This must be the place" Col. Duncan looked at the building's façade. The soldier on the passenger seat got out and opened the backseat door, the Colonel and Dalton got out of the vehicle and made their way inside the office.

"May I help you?" a young woman who happened to be the receptionist asked.

"We came to see Marcus Rodriguez" Col. Duncan replied.

Dalton looked at the place, it was neatly organized. Most private investigators' offices usually look like a dump. The young blonde pushed the button on the intercom "Marcus, there are two gentlemen who came to see you?"

"Ok, send them thru" Marcus responded.

Dalton and Col. Duncan walked thru a small hallway and to the left was Marcus Rodriguez' office.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Marcus Rodriguez asked, he was wearing cargo pants, a black shirt with a black trench coat.

"I'm Colonel Sam Duncan with the U.S. Air Force and this is Lieutenant Lance Dalton with the Royal Canadian Air Force and we need to talk to you about the case you worked a four years ago"

"As a cop I've worked on a lot of cases, you need to be more specific" Marcus replied as he opened a bottle of water.

"The case you worked with former FBI agent Chase Lihn" the Colonel answered.

"The Chau Wu case?…. She betrayed us and after we arrested her and then she killed herself before we could take the case to trial" Marcus responded before he took a sip from the bottle "May I ask why you are interested on that case?"

"How did Lihn die?" Dalton asked.

"She hung herself" Marcus responded, he didn't understand why would the U.S. and Canadian Air Forces want to know about a case that was closed years ago.

"Take a look" Dalton handed a bunch of pictures to Marcus, he looked at the pictures with a surprised look on his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.

"Impossible, she's dead" Marcus couldn't believe what he saw.

"They were taken in Europe, Germany and Britain to be exact" Col. Duncan said.

"And this was taken in Pyongyang, North Korea last week" Dalton handed another photo to Marcus.

"Are you sure it's her?" Marcus asked.

"Yes" Col. Duncan replied.

Marcus got up from his seat and walked to the window "How did she survive and escape?"

"International terrorist Rasheed Al-Nazari helped her before he was killed in Cairo" Dalton responded.

"So a major terrorist helped her? But why?" Marcus still couldn't believe the woman who almost ruined his career as a cop is still alive.

"That we don't know but the CIA presumes she lost her memory since she goes by the alias of Valerie Storm" Dalton answered.

"I remember the last thing she said to me is that she was gonna make me pay for ruin her plans" Marcus remembered that high speed chase in Tri City.

Dalton looked at the decoration of the office, he noticed many plaques and awards from Marcus' days in the Tri City Police Department but what caught his attention was a picture of Marcus with a very attractive half Japanese half Portuguese woman, then he glanced at Marcus and didn't see a ring on him.

"We're gonna cut to the chase Mr. Rodriguez, we need your skills as a driver" Col. Duncan said.

"Do you need me to bust Chase again?" Marcus asked.

"It's more than that, Valerie Storm aka Chase Lihn along with some mercenaries stole a bio-chemical weapon and sold it to the North Korean regime. Our intel tells us that Pyongyang has plans to use it against South Korea and probably Japan too. We need you to help us stop it from happening" Col. Duncan explained.

"If you would've asked me a year ago, I'd ride with you but now…." Marcus turned to face the Colonel.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Dalton asked as he pointed at the picture.

"Yeah…" Marcus responded, it's been a little over a year since Marcus helped Fairhaven Police Detective Izumi De Souza solve the case involving a French arms dealer and a rogue DEA agent. After the case was solved, Izumi and Marcus started a relationship. That made Marcus quit the force and move to Fairhaven.

"What would you do if Chase Lihn recovers her memory and comes after you… and her?" Dalton asked.

Marcus was quiet, he knew Dalton was right. Chase threaten to get even with Marcus and she wouldn't stop at nothing to enact her revenge "Lieutenant, you're asking me to go inside one of the most isolated countries in the world and ruin their plans"

"I'm going in too" Dalton responded.

"I see, but how?" Marcus asked.

"Let's say we got vehicles that can get us inside undetected" Col. Duncan answered.

"Lieutenant…." Marcus turned his attention to Dalton.

"Call me Dalton"

"OK, Dalton. How would you tell your wife or girlfriend that you're going inside one of the most hostile places on earth?" Marcus asked.

"Last time I was in a relationship my ex couldn't stand the fact that I had to go on many missions overseas" Dalton responded.

"If I say I'm in, when are we leaving?" Marcus asked.

"Tonight" Col. Duncan responded.

Marcus took a deep breath as he pulled his cellphone and made a call "Hey Iz, are you busy?"

Dalton got up and turned to Col. Duncan "I think flying an F-22 and bomb the hell out of that facility would be a better idea"

"Remember that dog fight in Lebanon?" Col. Duncan asked.

"Yeah" Dalton responded.

"If you made it thru, this will be a walk in the park" the Colonel had the right words to say.

Marcus finished his call and turned to Col. Duncan.

"Well, I'm gonna meet with my girl in a little while" said Marcus.

"Just one thing, do not tell her about the mission. It's top secret" Col. Duncan said.

"Ok, I'll come up with something" said Marcus.

"Meet us tonight at 20:00 hours at the airport, we got a plane on stand by" Col. Duncan shook Marcus' hand.

* * *

An hour later….

Marcus Rodriguez arrived at Pops' Diner, he was waiting inside the restaurant as he just vaguely looked at the patrons going in and out. He sank his thoughts on that fateful day when he was framed for murder and extortion by Chase Lihn and that high speed pursuit all over Tri City

"You'll pay for this… this isn't over!" those were Chase's words to Marcus after she was taken into custody. Days before the District Attorney could take the case to court, Chase was found dead. The shame of being a disgraced agent and the pressure having to watch her back from some of the people she put away were too much to bare.

Marcus looked at the window and saw a female parking her silver Yamaha Y2F, she was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans, tall boots, a black tank top and a black leather jacket to match. Izumi removed her helmet and let her long brown hair down as she got off the bike.

"How do I explain to her that I'm going on a wild goose chase" Marcus thought to himself as he saw Izumi De Souza walk in the diner.

"Hey hun" said Izumi as she approached Marcus.

"I'm glad you made it, I know you're working on a big case and all but there's something I need to talk to you" said Marcus as he embraced Izumi and kissed her. Izumi felt something was off.

"What's wrong?" Izumi asked.

"Let's get something to drink, I'm thirsty" said Marcus as he and Izumi sat down at one of the booths. A waitress came.

"May I take your order?" the young waitress asked.

"I'd like a diet coke" Marcus responded.

"Just water for me" Izumi followed.

"Ok, coming right up" The waitress jotted down the order and walked away.

"What's so important?" Izumi asked with concern on her voice.

"I just got asked by the CIA to go to South Korea" Marcus responded.

"The CIA? And why do they want you to go all the way South Korea?" Izumi inquired

Marcus wanted to tell Izumi the truth about sneaking into North Korea but doing so would not only go against what Col. Duncan and Dalton told him about the mission being confidential but he knew Izumi would want to come along just to help Marcus bring Chase Lihn to justice.

"Remember four years ago I worked on that case? My FBI handler turned on me and I busted her" Marcus started to explain.

Izumi nodded.

"Chase Lihn faked her death and escaped prison but now she got caught trying to cross into North Korea and the CIA asked me to fly to Seoul and testify about her crimes. The South Korean government wants to try her but the CIA wants to extradite her" Marcus explained.

"But how did she fake her own death?" Izumi asked.

"That I don't know" Marcus answered, the waitress came back with the drinks.

"Do you really have to go?" Izumi didn't like the idea at all, and Marcus didn't want to lie about it but revealing the truth would only put her life in danger.

"I'm afraid so… She needs to pay for what she's done" Marcus answered, he remember what Dalton said to him earlier.

Izumi took a sip from her glass of water "It's been a little over a year since we worked on that case…. I know how you feel about busting Chase Lihn, she's not better than say… Natalie Cruz"

"Exactly" Marcus answered.

"They could share the same cell together" Izumi giggled at the thought.

"You're right Iz" Marcus placed his hand on Izumi's, she blushed a little.

"You know one thing, I couldn't stand you when I first met you but now… I don't wanna lose you" Izumi looked down for a second.

"Don't worry… It's gonna be ok" Marcus reassured as he leaned across the table and kissed Izumi.

"Don't forget I love you and I want you to come home safe" Izumi showed concern, she had a bad feeling about this business trip.

"I'll be ok…" Marcus responded, it was hard on him too. Being with Izumi has made Marcus change some of his ways, he quit smoking and stopped being rash. Like the old saying goes….. It takes a good woman's love to change a man.

* * *

Later on at 8:00 pm…

Fairhaven International Airport

Marcus drove his Dodge Viper towards the tarmac where the C-17 transport plane was on stand by, he noticed a bunch of military personnel loading the plane while a jet fuel truck was refueling the aircraft. Marcus parked his car right next to a black SUV, he shut the car off and got out.

"That's a nice Viper you got there" said Dalton as he approached Marcus.

"Thanks… this might be the last time I drive it" Marcus replied.

"So did you work things out with your girlfriend?" Dalton asked.

"Yeah, don't worry. She doesn't know about the mission. Even though this is the first time I've lied to her" Marcus explained.

"I've been on that road before, many times than I'd like to admit" Dalton replied.

Col. Duncan exited the SUV and approached the two men "I'm glad you made it Mr. Rodriguez"

"You know me… I like to live dangerously" Marcus answered.

A soldier walked up to the Colonel "The aircraft is ready, sir"

"Ok, let's get going" said Col. Duncan. The trio walked into the plane, the first thing Marcus noticed were three cars. The Corvette, a Nissan GT-R and an Aston Martin Vanquish.

"So this is our third driver" Wade Mulligan approached along with Jade

"Marcus, this is Dr. Wade Mulligan and this is his assistant Jade Wong" said Col. Duncan.

"It's good to meet the third driver for this mission" Dr. Mulligan shook Marcus' hand.

"I wish I can find that thought comforting" Marcus replied.

"No need to worry, you'll be alright" Jade cheerfully said as she playfully patted Marcus' arm.

The aircraft's hatch was closing and Marcus took a last glance at his Viper "I hope someone keeps an eye on my car"

Dalton had a smirk on his grin "I left my Chevelle in Olympic City under the same circumstances"

"You drive a muscle car? For a moment I thought you were an import driver" Marcus said jokingly, trying to relief some of the tension.

"You wouldn't catch me dead in a rice burner" Dalton replied.

"You're the muscle version of Izumi" Marcus thought to himself, Izumi wouldn't own a muscle car even if her life depended on it.

"Speaking of which, based on your driving abilities we think this Nissan GT-R is suited for you" said Wade. Marcus looked at the black GT-R and was skeptical about the car.

"Are we infiltrating North Korea in sports cars?" Marcus expressed his concern.

"No silly, this isn't a regular GT-R" Jade replied.

"This car is customized for espionage and assault purposes, you can pretty much destroy whatever you want with it" Wade explain.

"Really?" Marcus looked at the inside of the car.

"Better believe it" Jade leaned on the front of the car.

"They're prototypes and they were based on a fighter jet Dalton recovered two years ago" Wade explained. Marcus got inside the GT-R and looked at the dashboard, just like the Corvette it had an HUD on the windshield and various controls.

"You people made this car… I wish I had one of these when I was on the force" Marcus looked amazed by the car's technology.

"GT-R is yours, I already took the Corvette" said Dalton.

"I wish my girlfriend could see this, she'd fall in love with this ride" Marcus said.

Minutes after, the C-17 made its way to the runway and took off. It was going to be along flight from Fairhaven to Osan Air Force base in South Korea. Dalton is looking for redemption while Marcus is looking to settle an old score but the importance of this mission goes beyond personal affairs.

_The Junkie's Notes: It's been a few weeks since I've finished NFS Undercover Chronicles and I still get positive feedback and I'm honored that even one reader posted on the review section that the upcoming movie should be based on that fan fiction. From the bottom of my heart it's an honor to have that kind of feedback and it inspires me to keep writing. I've also received messages that I should write more stories featuring Izumi and that will happen sometime soon and in this chapter she makes a "cameo" appearance. I've decided to include Marcus Rodriguez aka the driver from NFS Undercover in this story for two reasons, NFS Ghost Shadow takes a year after Undercover Chronicles and to bring a character from one of the actual games. _


	6. Humor Me

Chapter 5 – Humor me

September 26, 11:00 pm.

Eastern Ukraine

In some remote mountainous region of Ukraine was the meeting point for some of the world's most dangerous terrorists and arm dealers… the perimeter was well guarded. Outside was a team of four elite soldiers watching and waiting as people were conducting business, from a distance was a rare fighter jet.

"We made visual contact with the prototype fighter jet" said a male soldier over the radio.

"Good, you decide the best course of action to the target" said an officer on the other side of the transmission.

"Roger that" the soldier replied.

"Ok ladies… we got the green light to proceed" The leader turned to the group "Moose, you go and set the C4 on the SCUD missiles while Natasha will snipe the sentries that might be in your way while Dalton and I will go straight to the SU-48 prototype"

"Ok then" said Mustafa "Moose" Azikiwe, born in Kenya but raised in the UK, he was a member of Britain's S.A.S. His specialty was demolitions.

"Aren't you and Dalton risking it too much, maybe we should concentrate on the aircraft first" said Natasha Boyzen, she was a very attractive Danish woman who was also a very talented sniper. She was a member of the NATO peace keeping forces.

"We'll be ok" replied the team leader, Mason Tuscano also a captain in NATO. Hailing from Italy, he was an specialist in Special Forces and had many successful missions on his "resume"

"After I take the SU prototype I'll keep them busy so you can head to the extraction point" said Dalton.

Natasha and Moose nodded.

"Ok… synchronize your watches… its go time" said Mason.

* * *

Back to the present….

Inside the C-17 en route to South Korea…

"Earth to Dalton…." Said Jade as she was trying to wake Dalton up.

"Hey… sorry… what's up?" Dalton replied as he quickly snapped out of his dream.

"We got some rations, I know they're not gourmet but I thought you were hungry, it's been like eight hours since we took off from Fairhaven" Jade handed the ration pack to Dalton.

"Are you kidding? This IS gourmet…" Dalton smiled at Jade.

Jade sat next to Dalton as she opened her own pack of rations. Dalton opened the bag and to his surprise it was beef stew, all he had to do was pour water and let the bag heat up the meal.

"How do you cook that?" Jade asked.

"Just pour water and let it sit for three minutes, the bag heats it up" Dalton replied as he helped Jade with hers.

"Really? No need for a microwave?" Jade was puzzled by how military rations worked.

"Trust me, I had to do this when I flew fighter jets on missions overseas" Dalton explained.

Marcus was seating about 20 feet away from Dalton and Jade, he was writing a letter as he was over hearing the conversation. He got up and walked up to Marcus.

"So what's your story? Why are you in this mission?" Marcus asked.

"That's a long story" Dalton replied as he opened the bag of beef stew and started to eat.

"Come on… we got a long flight, humor me" Marcus insisted.

"Tell me why you left the police force in Tri City?" Dalton munched on the stew.

Jade started to eat her rations as well "This is pretty good, delicious I'd say"

"I… well…" Marcus tried to reply but was cut short.

"Let me guess…. The girl you're dating" Dalton looked at Marcus.

"It's a long story but she had a lot to do with my decision" Marcus sat down on a crate that contained ammunition for the vehicles.

"We got long stories and maybe amongst cops it's common to talk about your personal lives but amongst pilots we only share our lives if we're flying together, it's an unwritten rule" Marcus kept eating.

"I quit the force because of her, I fell in love and she has a promising career as a cop" Marcus muttered.

"Excuse me?" Dalton looked at Marcus.

"Last year I worked on a joint operation between the Fairhaven and Tri City Police Departments and our mission was to bust this gun runner. That's where I met Izumi, at first we couldn't stand each other but we fell in love. We dealt with a lot of stuff together" Marcus explained.

"I see… so you gave up your career for love? That's something I could never do" Dalton replied.

"We almost got killed on many occasions but we busted some bad guys and closed the case. But things between Izumi and I didn't end there, we got closer and one thing led to another…" Marcus kept explaining.

"You're so sweet… I didn't think you were the romantic type" said Jade, she was the type of girl who enjoyed watching chick flicks in her spare time.

"I see… I'm here for a second chance and a shot for redemption…" Dalton replied.

"Redemption?" Marcus took interest on Dalton's story.

"Two years ago I was on a mission in Ukraine, my objective was to recover a Russian prototype aircraft. A fighter jet that could wipe the floor with most of today's planes" Dalton explained.

"That's the fighter jet Dr. Mulligan was talking about earlier?" Marcus asked, Dalton nodded.

"That plane was stolen from a Russian military research facility in Siberia and it was up for sale on the black market, I was hand-picked by NATO for that mission. My team and I infiltrated the facility where the black market dealers were meeting up, I succeeded in recovering the SU-48 but at the expense of the lives of my team members" Dalton took a sip from a bottle of water.

"Sorry to hear that, man" Marcus shook his head.

"When I made it back to base, I found out a high ranking general ordered the extraction team to stand down so I was the only who made it back. I kicked the shit out of the guy and that led to my dismissal not only from NATO but from the Canadian Air Force as well" Dalton got up from his seat and walked away.

"So he's doing this to get reinstated?" Marcus turned to Jade.

"Yeah, that was the deal for this mission but he seems more concerned about his dead teammates" Jade responded.

"Revenge?" Marcus asked.

"I don't think so… I think he's got something to prove" Jade took another bit off her stew.

"I see… that could've been me if things would've gone to shit last year" Marcus thought to himself as he reflected on the case he worked last year with Izumi, good luck had a lot to do with the case's closure.

"You seem to be madly in love, Marcus. Do you have a picture?" Jade asked.

Marcus smiled at her "You truly like romantic stories, don't you?"

"Shut up" Jade said jokingly, her face blushed.

Marcus pulled his smartphone and pulled a picture of him and Izumi, it was on that trip they made to Japan. He handed the phone to Jade.

"She's beautiful, you're lucky" Jade looked at the picture.

Marcus laughed "She's the one who's lucky, it's my charm"

Dalton heard both Marcus and Jade laugh, he reflected on that night Moose, Natasha and Mason died.

"No one is gonna die this time…. We're all coming back" Dalton smiled

_The Junkie's notes: I hope you guys are enjoying this story, I wanted to bring a little more emotion into this story. You see, one thing I feel a story should have is emotional content and a theme. I just got back from reading my first story and well one things I can tell you is NFS Undercover Chronicles' theme and emotional content is that no matter how difficult a situation gets and how many people stab you in the back, keep moving forward and don't give up. Just remember how complicated things got for Izumi and she never gave up. In NFS Ghost Shadow, the theme will be redemption and sacrifice as you'll see throughout the story. _


	7. The Briefing

Chapter 6 – The Briefing

July 30th 5:25 pm

Osan Air Force Base, South Korea.

The C-17 transport plane coming inbound from Fairhaven landed on Osan Air Force base in South Korea, the base was ran by both U.S. and Korean military personnel. On the tarmac were many F-22, F-16 and different transport planes. The plane made its final stop at a hangar, inside was a smaller private jet which was used by Agents Frank Romano and his people. The hatch from the back of the plane opened, Dalton, Marcus and Col. Sam Duncan were the first ones to come out of the aircraft.

"Welcome to South Korea, sir" said a Korean soldier with a thick accent as he saluted the Colonel.

"Thank you, son. At ease" the Colonel responded.

"I've never been inside a military facility" said Marcus as he observed the soldiers and the military vehicles scattered around the base.

"It's not like the police stations you used to hang out" Dalton responded.

The trio walked towards a Jeep where it would drive them from the hangar to the main building where the briefing would take place. Behind them was another Jeep which Wade Mulligan and Jade Wong were riding towards the same location. Both Jeeps exited the hangar and headed to the main building.

"Reporters weren't kidding about how much tension is felt around here" Marcus observed how soldiers seemed to be on edge at all times.

"The military here have so much to defend but common citizens live normal lives, maybe after the operation you should spend a couple of days in Seoul. It's just like many other cities around the world" Col. Duncan replied.

"Maybe I should do that" Marcus said.

Dalton was quiet since they landed.

"You're awfully quiet" Marcus looked at Dalton.

"Just thinking" Dalton responded.

The Jeep arrived at the building. Once inside the building they made their way into a briefing room which contained many screens and super computers, it was very high tech that it resembled something out of a comic book such as the Justice League or the X-men.

"This is unreal" Marcus was amazed by so much equipment, he's never seen anything like it during his days as a cop.

"This is what tax payers give their money for" said Jade who was right behind Marcus.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Dalton said.

"What is?" Jade asked.

"People support regimes and wars against other peoples without knowing how bloody wars can be" Dalton explained.

"I see your point" Marcus agreed.

From a distance a young female standing 5'7, with a well-proportioned body with long raven-black hair reaching just over her waist could be seen talking to Agent Frank Romano. She was wearing a business attire. She looked like a model and not like someone who could be in the intelligence community. Dalton walked up to them.

"Hey kid… I see you made it here with the cop" said Romano in reference to Marcus.

"Yeah, and did you bring your agent?" Dalton asked. The female turned around and faced him.

"You must be the famous Lance Dalton…" The female extended her hand.

"Yeah… Lance Dalton I am" Dalton shook the female's hand.

"This is Agent Kira Mercier, one of the best agents in the Agency" said Romano

"It's a pleasure to meet you Agent Mercier" Dalton said politely.

"Likewise… but please call me Kira"

"Ok…" Dalton replied.

Kira looked at both Jade and Marcus "Is that the cop from Tri City?"

"Yeah…" Dalton answered "Yo Marcus…. Here's someone I'd like you to meet"

Marcus walked where Dalton was standing.

"I'd like you to meet our driver…. Kira Mercier from the Agency" Dalton said.

"Damn… If the CIA had agents like this, I would've become an agent instead of becoming a cop" Marcus said in his usual teasing tone.

"I thought you had a girl back home" Dalton rained on Marcus' parade.

"I take that as a compliment" Kira giggled.

"See someone appreciates my sense of humor" Marcus replied

"If your girl only knew" Dalton shook his head.

Col. Duncan walked into the room with Dr. Mulligan.

"Gentlemen… let's take a seat" Col. Duncan stood in front of the room, everybody followed suit.

A huge screen behind the Colonel displayed a bunch of pictures and files, all belonging to the Red Lazarus, the North Korean regime and Chase Lihn…

"So you used to fly fighter jets?" Kira asked Dalton as she sat next to him.

"How long have you been in the Agency?" Dalton replied with a question.

"Long enough to know pretty much about you and Dick Tracy right here" Kira replied.

"Enlighten me" Dalton said with a cocky tone in his voice.

Kira smiled at Dalton "Well for starters, you started flying the F-18 as it is the Royal Canadian Air Force's plane of choice but you're far more specialized on the F-22 raptor and Suhkoi fighter jets since you were attached to NATO as well, you also like driving muscle cars in fact you own a Chevelle SS. Want me to continue?"

"You obviously read my profile… you did your homework. There's a lot you don't know" Dalton replied.

"Wanna bet?" Kira said with a flirtatious tone.

More people went inside the room, ranging from data analysts and radio communications experts to both US and South Korean military officials. The lights dimmed down and Col. Duncan addressed the group in attendance.

"Gentlemen… as you know we've got a situation up north" Col. Duncan announced as the screen behind him displayed a map of the Korean peninsula.

"The Red Lazarus bio weapon was stolen from one of our NATO bases in Germany by this woman" A picture of a woman appeared onscreen, she had dark hair and she was wearing a trench coat over her black military outfit "Her name is Valerie Storm but that's just an alias, her real name is Chase Lihn. She used to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation years ago but had ties to diverse criminal organizations. She was apprehended by former Tri City Detective Marcus Rodriguez" Col. Duncan pointed at Marcus.

Marcus acknowledged as many people took a quick glance at him.

"She was apparently found dead in her cell but she faked her death with the help of known terrorist Rasheed Al-Nazari. Sometime after Al-Nazari's death in Egypt she became a gun for hire" Col. Duncan kept explaining.

"You must feel good…. Hero" Dalton said to Marcus.

"Smartass" Marcus chuckled.

"The Red Lazarus is a very dangerous weapon and in the hands of the North Korean regime can bring very dire consequences" Col. Duncan added.

A young Korean woman in her 20's walked towards the Colonel, she was wearing a business outfit that consisted of short skirt, a blouse and a blazer. She had dark hair with brown highlights and it reached just below her shoulders, she stood 5'6.

"This is Keun Sun Yeung, she's an expert on bio-chemical weapons working for the South Korean government… she's a civilian but her knowledge on the matter at hand is very valuable" Col. Duncan moved to the side and Sun Yeung took over the briefing.

"As Col. Duncan was saying, the Red Lazarus was stolen from a military facility in Germany, now our intelligence agencies have confirmed that the North is in possession of this bio weapon. The Red Lazarus can kill a city's population by causing the cells to literally burst, causing it's victims to suddenly collapse. We've found out that Pyongyang has plans of unleashing this weapon in Seoul and Tokyo. Japan's Ministry of Defense is on high alert as well" Sun Yeung explained.

"I have a question…" Marcus got up from his seat.

"Yes" Sun Yeung responded.

"How much do you know about Chase Lihn?" Marcus asked.

"You are the officer who brought her down, right?" Sun Yeung looked at Marcus.

"Four years ago in Tri City. I wanna know how she went from a rogue FBI agent to a terrorist" Marcus demanded answers.

"All we know she took up the alias of Valerie Storm but other than that…. We know as much as you do" Sun Yeung answered.

"Something tells me you know more than you're willing to say" Marcus felt Sun Yeung was hiding something.

"I'm sorry but that's all we know" Sun Yeung responded.

"Besides Chase who are we targeting?" Kira asked.

Sun Yeung looked at Kira "I was about to get to that…."

"You either tell us the truth or I'm walking out" Marcus interrupted.

"Put a sock in it and let her talk, cop" a South Korean official got on Marcus' face.

"And who are you? Her bodyguard?" Marcus barked back.

"Disrespectful rat" The official replied. Him and Marcus were ready to go at it until Dalton got up from his seat and dragged Marcus back "You gotta chill, she's doing her job"

Kira only looked at Dalton trying to calm Marcus down.

"Ok…. Well as I was saying" Sun Yeung started to explain as the screen displayed the picture of a man in his mid 50's "There's a facility fifty miles north from Kaesong, we had undercover agents who provided solid evidence of such facility ran by General Dae Hwang. They also have the ballistic missiles to carry such an attack"

"So how are we going to stop them?" another Korean official asked.

"We've formulated a plan of action at the Pentagon, we're deploying three stealth vehicles into North Korea, these vehicles can infiltrate and destroy the enemy facility without alerting them" Col. Duncan explained.

"So we're relying on these vehicles instead of a full on assault?" the official asked.

"It's our best shot" the Colonel reassured. The Official wasn't convinced on how effective the plan of action was going to be.

"So what's the insertion method since we're using these prototype stealth vehicles?" Dalton asked.

Sun Yeung felt nervous as she saw Dalton.

"Sun… it's been a while" Dalton smiled.

"Well Lieutenant…. There's a section of the DMZ that is completely desolated and security from the north is not too tight. That's the best place to cross" Sun Yeung seemed to have met Dalton before.

"Just like old times" said Dalton.

"I suppose this is a black op?" Kira asked.

Col. Duncan looked at Kira "The usual, no official support so if you get captured or killed, we'll disavow all knowledge of your activities in enemy territory"

"When do we start?" Dalton inquired.

"At 5:00 hours" the Colonel responded.

"I see, suicide mission" Marcus said.

"It rides all on you, Godspeed" Col. Duncan dismissed the briefing. Everyone in attendance were leaving while others were discussing details. Sun Yeung made her way out of the briefing room, Dalton followed her.

"Sun… wait up" Dalton caught up with her.

"Dalton, what do you want?" Sun Yeung asked with annoyance in her voice.

"It's been a while, I haven't heard from you" Dalton responded.

Sun Yeung took a deep breath "And you wonder why?"

"I sent you e-mails" said Dalton.

"Gee… here I thought it was junk mail" Sun Yeung said sarcastically.

"I sent you letters" Dalton insisted.

"I made fires" Sun Yeung continued with her sarcasm.

"Ok you're mad at me for doing my job" Dalton got in front of Sun Yeung.

"I thought you cared about me but you care more about all these missions" Sun Yeung protested. Years ago Dalton and Sun Yeung had a quick relationship but Dalton's career was more important, something Sun Yeung felt uneasy about.

"I see you went from being just a data analyst to having a good career with your government. Maybe we should grab a drink and catch up on old times" Dalton said cynically.

"Look, Dalton. I'm busy and can't play your love games" Sun Yeung walked away.

Kira and Marcus saw what happened as they were walking on the same direction.

"What a hell was that all about" Marcus asked.

"Nothing" Dalton replied.

"I know… she was your girl three years ago" Kira said.

"You seem to know everything. Marcus, you should ask her" Dalton dismissed Marcus' question.

Wade Mulligan and Jade walked up to them

"We don't have too much time so I'll go with you over the details on the cars" Wade said.

Kira nodded. Now that the team has been assembled, three individuals will cross into one of the most hostile places on earth. One wants redemption, the other wants justice and the third is committed to duty. Only destiny will guide them from this point on.

_The Junkie's notes: I'm sorry if you feel a bit inpatient about some races. I feel it was important to introduce the main characters and the whole setting. Look forward to some action on the next chapters. God Bless and One Love….._


	8. Cover of Darkness

Chapter 7 – Cover of Darkness

July 31st, 5:00 am.

Demilitarized Zone, South Korea – North Korea border.

On the following morning the three vehicles; the Chevrolet Corvette, the Nissan GT-R and the Aston Martin Vanquish code named Vulcan Stingray, Night Raven and Ghost Falcon respectively were racing on a dark ravine through the mountains that separated the South and the North under the cover of darkness. They had only an hour before sunrise.

"So this is the desolated area where security isn't tight" Dalton was on the lead onboard the Vulcan Stingray.

"Security isn't too tight but as you approach the border there are heat cameras, before you get there you should switch to stealth mode to avoid detection" said Wade Mulligan over the radio.

"Yeah…. You don't need to tell me twice" Dalton replied.

"There's a tunnel close to the border that will lead us inside" Kira looked at her screen on the dash board of the Aston Martin.

"How do you know this?" Marcus was driving the GT-R.

"North Korean troops tried to cross into the south forty years ago" said Kira.

"Sure these guys wanna start world war three" Marcus replied.

It was pitch black, the three drivers switched to night vision which enabled the windshield to display the same greenish night vision view seen in fighter jets. They drifted thru some of the hairpins with surgical precision, one navigational error and one of the vehicles could fall into the canyon.

"How many miles before we reach this tunnel?" Dalton asked over the radio.

"You should reach it in five miles, I suggest you switch to stealth mode" Jade responded.

"This place is awfully quiet" Marcus said as he shifted gears, he observed how eerie the canyon looked.

"Creepy if you ask me, Sherlock" said Kira.

Dalton browsed thru the touchscreen on the dash and switched to stealth mode, the car's body started to change color into a chameleon-type of camouflage. Kira and Marcus did the same.

"I placed on your GPS the location of the cave, remember you have to move fast before the North Koreans send troops to your location" said Sun Yeung.

"Sun?" Dalton was surprised to hear Sun Yeung's voice over the radio.

"I'm part of the operation plus I know what you'll be facing once you cross the border" Sun Yeung replied.

"That's nice Sun…. anyway if we get spotted, we could test some of the heavy artillery on them" Dalton said with cynically.

"You'll never change" Sun Yeung said.

"It's great you joined the operation" said Kira.

As the vehicles got closer to the border, Kira stepped on the accelerator and passed Dalton.

"Kira, what are you doing?" Dalton protested.

"I know where the cave is, just follow me" Kira responded.

"Roger that" Dalton stayed close to Kira's vehicle.

* * *

Meanwhile….

Inside a North Korean bunker close to the border.

*"_Sir, we've detected a heat reading close to the border_" said a young soldier.

*"_Put it onscreen_" an officer said. The soldier showed the image on a larger screen, it showed heat readings but on another camera nothing showed.

*"_What a hell? A ghost_?" the officer couldn't make out what he was seeing.

*"_It's coming from the south_" another soldier reported.

The officer who seemed to be the one in charge of the bunker hasn't seen much movement even when both the North and the South had been on high alert when their "dear leader" was on a rampage.

*"_Have some troops keep guard on the border, these imperialist dogs may try to make a move_" the officer ordered.

*"_Yes sir_" the soldier made a radio call to alert back up troops to gather at the border.

* * *

Back on the ravine….

"Satellite images are showing troops mobilizing towards the border, they picked you on their heat radar" Sun Yeung said.

"Don't worry, there's an anti heat system, just activate it and you'll be completely invisible" Wade mentioned.

Dalton and company used the anti heat system.

* * *

Back at the North Korean bunker…

*"_The heat signal is gone_" the soldier said.

*"_That's impossible…. What is going on_?" the officer didn't have a clue of what was going on. Everyone at the bunker were looking puzzled.

* * *

Meanwhile at the ravine, the cave was at the base of a mountain. Kira looked at the location on GPS, she selected machine guns and two compartments close to the headlights opened.

"This is the entrance to the cave" Kira said as she activated the machine guns, the boarded entrance was torn apart by the bullets. The cars made it inside.

"Stay close and watch your speed" Jade said.

"Just follow me" Kira stepped on the accelerator.

"Do you know where we're headed?" Marcus asked as he shifted gears.

The three cars were speeding down the tunnel, it was very narrow but it offered extra cover from North Korean radars. It stretched for two miles within one of the mountains.

"Try not to lose me boys" said Kira as she stepped on the accelerator.

"You call that fast?" said Dalton as he accelerated as well.

Marcus smiled as he opened up the throttle and was bumper to bumper with Dalton "This is a walk in the park in Tri City, stick to flying planes"

"Smartass" Dalton had a smirk on his face, friendly rivalries never hurt anyone.

"Come on kids…. This isn't Gran Turismo" said Wade over the radio.

* * *

Close to the border three trucks loaded with troops arrived to the top of a hill where the border was clearly visible.

*"_We see nothing_" said one of the soldiers.

The troopers covered the perimeter, they looked everywhere and still there wasn't any trace of whatever triggered the heat sensors. One of the men picked the radio *"_There's not suspicious activity coming from the south_"

*"_Stay alert_" the man in charge of the bunker ordered.

*"_Yes sir_!" the soldier complied.

* * *

Back at the tunnel.

Kira looked at her GPS screen and noticed the exit was close, she took aim at what it seemed to be a barricade and tore it down with machine guns. The vehicles burst out of the tunnel and jumped into a dirt road.

"We're now in enemy territory" said Kira.

"No longer in Kansas, eh" Dalton looked at his GPS.

"You're about right, Dorothy" Kira teased.

Marcus reached in his pocket and pulled a small box "I can't wait to come home and give you this"

The three cars were on their way to the city of Kaesong, now behind enemy lines their skills will be put to the test.

* * *

Back in Osan Air Force Base…..

"They made it, they're inside North Korea" said Jade Wong.

"Good" said Col. Duncan.

Sun Yeung walked up to the Colonel "I hope Dalton is able to destroy the Red Lazarus"

Col. Duncan looked at Sun Yeung "He's a fast driver and one hell of a combat pilot, mix those factors and I'd say the chances of success are greater"

"I hope you're right" Sun Yeung said.

"What's the story of you two?" Jade asked Sun Yeung.

Sun Yeung felt nervous for a moment "Dalton and I were…. Uhmm"

"In love" Jade interrupted.

"Not like that…. Things happened but Dalton is a womanizer… He can be suave but in the end he cares only for himself" Sun Yeung said.

"Like James Bond?" Jade asked as she looked at the screen in front of her.

"He wishes he could be like James Bond" Sun Yeung had such resentment towards Dalton that she couldn't stand the comparison with the fictitious British secret agent.

_The Junkie's notes: The * means the conversation is in a foreign language, in this case its Korean. I think this is the first fan fiction on the Need For Speed section that deals with rogue governments and political ideas, but more to it I feel it's important to take a good look at one of the most oppressive nations on the planet. In North Korea human rights are non-existent where a common citizen can be incarcerated or executed for speaking against the government. Check out some videos on Youtube about some of the atrocities the Kims have committed against their own people. I hope one day they attain their freedom from tyranny. I'd like to dedicate this fan fiction to the victims of such cruel regime and the refugees that managed to escape. The NOS Junkie is with you… One Love!_


	9. New Allies

Chapter 8 – New Allies

July 31st, 6:30 am

50 miles past the border crossing between North and South Korea.

The three vehicles made it thru the border into enemy territory. After exiting the cave, the three drivers headed into a remote dirt road that crossed thru a dense forest.

"Do you know your way around this forest?" Dalton asked Kira over the radio.

"Yeah, just follow me. There's a village nearby where we'll meet our contact" Kira replied.

Marcus hear the conversation "They never said anything about a contact at the briefing"

"Trust me… our contact knows how we can infiltrate the main base" Kira assure that this contact was to be trusted.

After driving for half hour the dirt road led to a paved highway, the horizon was covered by high mountains and deep forests. That made tracking very difficult for enemy radars to see if any strange vehicle was crossing thru.

"It's very peaceful here…." Dalton thought to himself

"Where's this village?" Marcus asked.

"I've sent you the exact location to your GPS" Kira answered, a red dot appeared on Marcus' GPS screen. Dalton's screen displayed the red dot as well.

"Ok…. I'll race you to the village" Marcus downshifted and passed both Dalton and Kira.

"Not that easy…" Dalton stepped on the accelerator as well and passed Kira.

"Men…." Kira followed suit.

The GT-R was on the lead while the Corvette and Vanquish were catching up.

"This car still gives me goose bumps… I wish I could take this car back to Fairhaven" Marcus said to himself.

A hairpin came up, Marcus downshifted and aggressively turned the wheel to drift the car.

Dalton saw the maneuver "What is it with rice burner drivers and their drifting?" he looked at the weapons screen and tapped at the grappling hook. A small compartment beneath the front bumper opened up and shot the grappling hook to a tree on the inner side of the hairpin and by doing so Dalton was able to keep a high speed and was bumper to bumper with the GT-R.

"Damn it… grappling hooks? Really?" Marcus complained.

Kira also drifted around the hairpin but she wasn't interested on racing, she just wanted to watch the race between the air force pilot versus the former police detective.

"You think like a street racer… I just pretend I'm flying an aircraft" Dalton responded to Marcus' complaints.

A straight away came up and Dalton was looking for an opening to pass Marcus. However, Marcus was blocking him.

"No way… You're not passing me" said Marcus.

Dalton saw a pile of dirt he could use as a ramp.

"Marcus, have you heard of afterburners?" Dalton switched to afterburner mode, the Corvette's exhaust let up a blue flame out of it and the roar of the LS V8 engine was accompanied by a jet sound. Dalton drove towards the pile of dirt and jumped over the GT-R and landed right in front.

"Told you… I think of my car as a fighter jet" Dalton taunted.

"Shit!" Marcus slapped the steering wheel in frustration.

The Corvette raced thru the straightaway, Dalton switched off the afterburner system.

"So much for winning" Marcus said.

"Did you forget your car has the same afterburner system as Dalton's" Kira said to Marcus over the radio.

"I'm just barely getting acquainted with the car" Marcus responded.

"Time to get serious… we're almost getting close to the village" Dalton looked at his GPS screen.

After clearing the highway, a village was visible. It looked like a ghost town, houses looked old and poorly maintained.

"Is this where we're meeting with this contact of yours?" Marcus asked.

"This is the place" Kira replied.

The cars drove by an empty street, there was nothing. Then they turned right into a back alley that led to a town square. Before reaching the square they stopped.

"Why did we stop?" Dalton asked.

Kira exited her car, she was wearing blue cargo pants, black boots, and a gray tank top under her black vest. Her hair was tied in a low pony tail with a couple of bangs across her face. She took a few steps until a red dot appeared on her chest.

"What's going on?" Marcus looked at Kira as she raised her hands.

"I think we've just got spotted" said Dalton.

Dalton and Marcus didn't like what was going on, for all they knew they've just got ambushed.

"You must be the care package" a voice could be heard from somewhere close.

"We're the care package…. The pharaoh sent us" Kira replied, she was calmed.

"Sorry about that…" A man walked towards Kira, he looked like he was in his mid 30's, he was wearing a black military uniform with no insignias. Kira put her hands down.

Dalton got out of his car, he was wearing grey cargo pants, a black shirt and a tan leather bomber jacket. He noticed that the man who appeared in front of them was an ally. Marcus also emerged from the GT-R, he was wearing green military cargo pants, a white shirt with a black rain coat and a bandana wrapped around his head.

"It's OK… he's a friend" said Kira as both Marcus and Dalton walked up right where she was standing.

"So this is our welcoming committee?" Dalton asked.

"This is Xian Wei, he's with China's Ministry of State Security" said Kira

"I've read your profiles… You must be Lance Dalton and Marcus Rodriguez" said Xian.

Dalton looked a bit puzzled "So you're with Chinese intelligence but why are you on our side? The last time I've checked your country supports North Korea"

"Officially but that doesn't mean we support their terrorist activities" Xian answered.

"Don't worry, Dalton. Xian and I go way back" said Kira.

Marcus looked at Xian "You read our profiles? How did you know about us even coming?"

"You'd be surprised how much our headquarters back in Beijing have investigated about foreign agents that work with us. We know about the French weapons trafficker you along with that detective from Fairhaven and the former S.A.S. operative took down a year ago in Palmont City" Xian explained.

"I told you man. Intelligence agencies are more resourceful than police departments" Dalton chuckled.

Xian looked to a building across the square and yelled out something in Chinese as he waved at someone, possibly a subordinate. Then he turned his attention back to Kira "There's a safe house on the other side of the village. It's dangerous to stay outside"

The safe house was only five minutes driving distance from the town square. There Dalton, Kira and Marcus parked inside which used to be a make-shift temple. There was computer equipment that for the looks of it, it came from China. Dalton looked around and noticed a small group of field agents were in the safe house already and it was clear Xian was the man in charge.

"So these are the prototype vehicles your CIA has developed" Xian said as he looked at the three cars, he took special interest on Dalton's Corvette aka the Vulcan Stingray.

"And they're not for sale" said Kira jokingly.

"You know we'll come with something better" Xian replied.

One of the Chinese field operatives walked up to Xian and handed him a blue print.

"This is their base of operations, it's actually an old base that the Japanese occupied in World War two" Xian put the print on a table "It has a silo built in underground, a little gift from the Russians"

"A silo… I suppose they need it to deploy the Red Lazarus" Dalton pointed at the print.

Xian nodded.

"There's also a runway, which is heavy guarded" Kira mentioned.

"How tight is security?" Marcus asked.

"You can expect a wall of firepower if that's what you're asking" Xian answered "The difficult part is getting into Kaesong. There's a military checkpoint which keeps citizens not worthy of entering the city from entering"

"Unworthy?" Marcus was curious to know.

"There's a caste system. People from the lower classes have no access to good jobs and opportunities in the city" Kira explained.

"That also explains why the village is nearly empty" Xian said.

"What do you mean?" Marcus looked puzzled.

"Most people from this village were either executed or taken to a labor camp for having disagreement with the central government about the so called Juche Ideology" Xian explained to Marcus.

"But China supports Pyongyang" Dalton protested.

"I'm Chinese and I love my country but I don't agree with what the North Korean government does with its people, we had it rough during the Cultural Revolution but we became a superpower but this Juche Ideology is total bullshit if you ask me" Xian expressed his disdain for China's neighbor.

"Infiltrating Kaesong won't be a problem" Marcus looked at his Nissan GT-R "Night Raven"

"We can cause a diversion just in case" Xian proposed.

"What do you have in mind?" Marcus asked.

Xian pointed at the other side, Marcus and Dalton turned and saw at two limousines.

"They fear their dear leader and that's what we'll use" Xian said.

"Ok… I like the idea" Dalton walked up to the limo.

"Once inside we'll destroy the housing unit that stores the Red Lazarus and eliminate Chase Lihn and General Hwang" Kira pointed at the map.

Xian shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked.

"The Red Lazarus has been moved to an underground lab deep under the base" Xian pointed at a location close to the silos "According to intel, it has movement sensors and lasers guarding the lab"

Kira stared at the print, it was time to improvise the plan "I'll infiltrate the facility then"

Dalton looked at Kira "How?"

"I'll let myself get caught" Kira responded.

"Are you crazy, Kira?" Marcus protested her plan.

"Just like in Burma three years ago" Xian muttered.

"I'm not gonna drag you guys into a trap. I knew the risks when I joined the CIA" Kira looked at Marcus.

Dalton placed his hand on her shoulder "I'm not losing a teammate again"

"What do you suggest?" Kira asked.

"Create a diversion" Dalton answered.

"How?" Xian asked.

"Leave it to me, just get ready. If we're doing this I suggest we make the trip to Kaesong in the early evening when visibility will be minimum by the time we arrive to their base" Dalton had a plan.

Kira and Xian nodded.

Dalton walked towards his car, Marcus followed him.

"Dalton… wait up"

"What's up?" Dalton turned around.

"I need to talk to you for a second" Marcus pulled an envelope.

"What is it?" Dalton noticed something was off.

"I need you to hold this for me until we go back home" Marcus handed the envelope and a small box.

Dalton looked at the envelope and the box "What is this if you don't mind me asking?"

Marcus paused for a second as he tried to get his thoughts together "It's a letter and an engagement ring"

"I see… you and… what's your girlfriend's name?" Dalton knew what Marcus meant by giving him the ring and letter.

"Her name is Izumi" Marcus replied.

"Right…. But why do you want me to hold on to this?" Dalton asked.

"In case I don't make it. I was gonna propose the day you and Col. Duncan came to see me" Marcus responded.

Dalton shook his head "Look… We're all gonna make it back and you'll give the ring to her yourself"

"I thought about what Kira just said. It made me think a lot…." Marcus leaned on Dalton's car.

"I see… I'll hold on to this but you will give this to Izumi…. In fact I'll be there when you get on that knee" Dalton put the ring and letter in his pocket.

"I owe you one" said Marcus.

"You gave up everything for love. That's something I couldn't do back in the day" Dalton said.

"You mean?" Marcus remember that argument after the briefing.

"Sun Yeung… that girl from the briefing. We were together but I put my career before her, that's why she hates me now" Dalton explained.

"That's why she was mad, look man I'm sorry" Marcus now knew why Sun Yeung was pissed when she saw Dalton.

"The important thing is you'll be back home day after tomorrow" Dalton assured Marcus that the mission was going to be a success. Now the real test was about to begin at sundown.

_The Junkie's notes: I haven't seen the new NFS movie but I think I'll watch it tomorrow. I've been busy with work and all that jazz. By the way I'm already cooking yet another story which I'll publish very soon so look out for it! One Love and blessings!_


	10. Shadow from the Past

Chapter 9 – Shadow from the Past

July 31st, 10:45 am

Kaesong, North Korea

"Some shitty assignment" A North Korean soldier complained to himself, he was stationed at a security checkpoint just outside the city of Kaesong. The city wasn't as populated compared to the capitol city since only those approved by the government were allowed to transit or live in it.

"_Try not to sleep on the job_" another soldier warned the disgruntled sentry as he noticed he was dosing off "You know what would happen if you get caught sleeping"

"_Yes sir_" The young soldier replied.

It seemed business as usual until a black vehicle approached at high speed.

"_Who can that be_" The young soldier muttered.

Two other soldiers posted on watch towers aimed their machine guns at the speeding vehicle.

The black Nissan GT-R driven by Marcus Rodriguez slowed down with a loud roar coming from the exhaust, a result from downshifting. The car made a complete stop and the young private cautiously got close to the car with his AK-47 aimed at the front of the car. The passenger window rolled down.

"_Our great leader is very pissed at you for letting him down!_" A Chinese operative, one of Xian's subordinates disguised as a North Korean soldier yelled.

"_What's going on?_" The soldier was very nervous.

"_He's coming over and he's gonna kill all of you for letting some enemy spies thru, we caught them in Pyongyang and they confessed passing thru here_" The Chinese spy replied.

"_You're kidding, you know we do our best to keep spies out_" the soldier pleaded.

"_You explain your fuck up to him_" The spy chuckled

One of the North Korean soldiers on the watch tower pulled his binoculars and saw from a distance two limousines with North Korean flags on the front, a Corvette and an Aston Martin Vanquish escorting them. The soldier dropped his binoculars in panic "_They're coming_!"

The soldiers ran from their post, to them disappointing the Kim family meant death by execution or spend the rest of their lives in a labor camp. The Chinese operative rolled his window up, Marcus only smiled as he saw the soldiers running.

"Time to get out of Dodge, boys" Marcus smirked.

The GT-R drove into the city and shortly after that the two limousines along with the Corvette and the Vanquish made it into the city as well.

Inside the city was filled with tall buildings to which they were mostly a façade since at one point there were many joint ventures between North and South Korean companies and the North regime had to put a pretty picture for the media. One thing Dalton, Marcus and Kira noticed were the female traffic officers directing traffic. Word of their supreme leader spread like wildfire and many of these officers bowed to the entourage with the outmost respect.

"It was a great idea but how long can we keep the charade before they find out the truth?" Kira was concerned about their cover.

"We'll create a diversion to keep them busy" Dalton said.

"What do you have in mind?" Xian who was in one of the limousines asked over the radio.

"I'll just blow something up, that will get their attention" Dalton replied.

Marcus heard the conversation "That's not hard to do"

The entourage drove thru one of the main streets into the downtown area, from there they would go east just on the outskirts where the military facility was located. All that was needed was a diversion to keep even the soldiers in the base busy and gain access into the facility.

"According to the GPS we should turn left on the upcoming street" said Kira.

The entourage turned left and kept on driving into a street, one of the advantages of Kaesong was that its streets were empty since not many citizens had access to private vehicles. It was the total opposite of cities like Tri City, Fairhaven or Olympic City where rush hour traffic was a nightmare.

"You know Dalton, I've been thinking I could take you on in a race right here, right now" Kira said jokingly.

"You can dream about it, too bad we can't do it now but I tell you what. I'll race you once this mission is over" Dalton replied.

"Deal" said Kira.

As they were passing a city block they saw a military transport truck with soldiers beating a bunch of civilians consisting of men, women and children.

"What a fuck are they doing to these people?" Marcus looked at the beating these people were getting. The entourage stopped for a moment. Xian took a closer look.

"They're getting arrested and probably they're being taken to a labor camp" Xian replied.

"But why?" Dalton asked as he started to prepare the Vulcan Stingray's weapons system.

"More than likely for petty stuff like being in possession of South Korean DVD's, music or magazines. To the North that's negative propaganda" Xian was familiar with the do's and don'ts when it came to the totalitarian regime.

"That's horrible" Kira couldn't stand watch innocent people get the short end of the stick, even as a CIA operative she didn't like what she was witnessing.

"This is our diversion, can we fit those people in one of the limos?" Dalton asked, in total he saw about 15 people.

"Dalton, this is crazy and may compromise the mission" Xian protested.

"Imagine it was you getting beaten" Marcus said, he was disgusted at Xian's indifference.

Kira looked at the soldiers and saw they were about ten soldiers. Marcus engaged the weapons system in his GT-R "Night Raven".

"I'll attack them and you get the people inside the limo, I'll meet you at the base" said Marcus.

Xian took a deep breathe "Ok but you'll figure out how to get them out of country, they'll become wanted fugitives"

Marcus revved the engine and made a 180 spin, facing the truck. The soldiers took notice at the stunt and aimed their assault rifles at the car. Machine guns also emerged from the GT-R as well, Marcus took aim at the soldiers and opened fire. The soldiers fell to the ground, the Chinese agent that was with Marcus exited the car and guided the victimized civilians to the limo.

"Now get out of here. I'll keep them busy and I'll meet you at the base" Marcus commanded as he took aim at five more soldiers that were coming at him.

"Ok Marcus, we're counting on you" said Kira.

"Stay alive. Remember there's that lady waiting on you and you need to propose to her" Dalton was the first to move out of the scene.

The two limousines along with the Corvette and the Aston Martin drove off towards the base while the GT-R headed to a back alley with more enemy soldiers on their way to provide back up. The GT-R ran them over.

"Come on boys! Come at me with everything you got" said Marcus as he exited the alley and turned left to another street. Three Jeeps started to pursue the sports car.

"What is that car?" One soldier said to himself.

One of the Jeeps had a 50 caliber gun with armor piercing rounds, one soldier took aim and shot at the car without causing any damage. Much to their dismay.

"Who is this guy?" the soldier handling the big gun said.

A small hatch from the back of the Night Raven opened and a couple of grenades came out, they exploded and caused two Jeeps to roll leaving one in pursuit. Marcus turned right and to his surprise there was a road block composed by two large military trucks. He switched to missiles and fired on the trucks. Enemy soldiers ran for their lives.

* * *

Back at the command post in Osan Air Force base in South Korea.

"Colonel, we were able to hack into the North Korean army's transmission" Sun Yeung said.

"Tell me what they are talking about" Col. Duncan looked at a screen displaying a real time satellite image, it showed the GT-R making its way around the streets of Kaesong.

"A black sports car attacked a platoon while they were arresting a bunch of traitors" Sun Yeung translated the conversation.

Dr. Wade Mulligan walked into the room and took notice of what was going on.

"Doctor, your cars are exceeding expectations" Col. Duncan said.

"They'll make great additions to intelligence agencies once we mass produce them" Wade replied.

"Don't do anything stupid, Dalton" said Sun Yeung as she looked at the screen.

"You still care about him, don't you?" Jade stood behind Sun Yeung.

"I'm human… I want them to come back alive" Sun Yeung dismissed Jade's question.

* * *

Back on the streets of Kaesong…

Marcus cleared many of the back up units that were called in.

"Dalton, are you guys at the base yet?" Marcus asked.

"Almost there…. How are things?" Dalton replied.

"I'm on my way, I think these assholes are gonna be looking for a ghost" Marcus chuckled.

Suddenly the GT-R was rammed by a silver BMW M3.

"What a hell?" Marcus said after he was shaken up.

"What's going on? Talk to me buddy" Dalton said.

Machine guns emerged from the side fenders of the M3 and open fire on the GT-R.

"Of all the people that the CIA could've sent I've never thought they'd sent you" a female spoke on the radio, to Marcus that voice sounded familiar.

"So it's true what they said" Marcus replied with anger in his voice.

"It's been a long time, Marcus" The woman driving the BMW M3 replied, she was wearing a white business outfit.

"So you regained your memory, Chase" said Marcus.

The BMW M3 was heavy modified in the same fashion as the GT-R, in fact Chase Lihn was very familiar with Marcus' driving style and could read him like an open book. Marcus stepped on the accelerator and gained some distance and flipped a 180 turn as both cars came to a complete stop.

"Tell me Chase, how did you escape prison?" Marcus demanded answers.

"I guess you're entitled to answers, that's the least I can do before I kill you" Chase Lihn replied.

Both cars stood still facing each other on an empty street.

"I was given a shot so it looked like I flat lined, the guard that found me hanging was actually one of Rasheed Al Nazari's people. I was supposed to meet up with him after I killed Chau Wu but it was you who fucked everything up. He wasn't too happy about it and he made sure I never forget my mistake" Chase ran her index finger on a scar that ran on her right cheek bone.

"So you killed him in Cairo" Marcus deducted the rest of the story.

"You're a bright one" Chase taunted.

"I thought you were just a greedy bitch. But after you helping the North Koreans attack their neighbors with the Red Lazarus, all I can say is that you're bat shit insane" said Marcus.

"I don't care what these assholes do. They paid me top dollar and after they launch the Red Lazarus, I'm leaving this god-forsaken place" Chase said.

"Marcus, are you ok?" Kira said over the radio.

"I'm not but I'll will be once I'm done with her" Marcus responded

"Life's been good to you, right Marcus?" Chase continued to taunt.

"What?" Marcus was getting even angrier.

"After the Chau Wu case you dated that med student Carmen, then she left you because you were so dedicated to your police work and last year after the whole case with Jerome Sauniere and that DEA agent, you started to date that girl Izumi from Fairhaven… You could've stayed there and be happy instead of coming to this depressing place to die" Chase mocked in a patronizing tone.

"Chase…. How do you.." Marcus was cut short by Chase.

"Not that it makes any difference now, I was planning to kill everyone who crossed me back in Tri City starting with you. I was thinking of killing your girlfriend in front of you before I killed you" Chase's taunting continued.

"I swear you'll either end in a grave or in prison by the end of the day" Marcus revved the GT-R's engine.

"Keep that hope alive" Chase Lihn said before she stepped on the accelerator.

_The Junkie's notes: My dear peeps, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting on the next chapter. Tons of work and on top of that I was out of town again. This time it was for vacations so now that I'm back it's time to keep writing more chapters and I'm still working on another fanfic like I've said before. Thank you guys for your patience. God bless you all and One Love!_


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